1. The Silent Way: Method of
Language Learning
by
Caleb Gattegno
MARYAM BASHIR
B.S (English)
AWKUM

2. Introduction

The silent way
(SW), a method
of
language teaching,
originated in the
early 1970s and
introduced by
Caleb Gattegno in
his book:
Teaching Foreign Language
in School.

3. Theoretical background

Challenge Audio-lingual method:
students are unable to transfer
habits formed in the classroom to
communicate outside of it.

Language must not be considered
a product of habit formation, but
rule formation.

Language acquisition must be a
procedure of student using their
own cognition, to discover the
rules of the language they are
acquiring.

4. Learning Theory:

Cognitive approach rather than
responding to stimuli.

Language learning has a sequence from
the known to un known.

Student induce the rules from
examples and the language they are
exposed to, therefore learning is
inductive.

5. Basic Principles:

Teaching should be subordinated to learning.

Emphasizes the autonomy of the learners.

Students are encouraged to have an active
role in learning the language.

Pronunciation is seen as fundamental.

Uses a structural syllabus but implicitly.

Translation and rote repetition are avoided.

6. Silence

Silence is use as a tool.

To focus student’s attention.

To encourage them to
correct their own errors.
Shhhh!

7. Teacher are still active:

Mouthing words

Using hand gestures

Encourage students to
help their peers.

8. Objectives

Near native like fluency
in the target language.

Correct pronunciation.

Providing the learners
with a basic practical
knowledge of the
grammar.

9. SYLLABUS

Beginning with student’s knowledge.

Developing syllabus from easy to complex.

12. Evaluation

Teacher may never
give a formal test.

Teacher assesses
student’s learning all
the time.

Continuous
monitoring by the
teacher is essential.

13. Error correction.

Errors are natural, so
Peers correction
unavoidable.

Self-correction is
necessary for the
students to compare
their own production
with their developing
inner criteria.

Peer correction is also
very important, but it
should be in a co-
operative manner.

14. Materials

Cuisenaire rods:
Which can be used
for anything from
introducing simple
commands to
representing objects
such as describing
any room setting.

16. What is the Silent Way?

It is a method of language teaching, to
enable students to become
independent, autonomous and
responsible learners.

Though silent most of the time, the
teacher plays a crucial role. The
teacher is there at every moment,
speaking only when necessary but
listening very intently. The teacher
acts as the guarantor, safeguarding
the accuracy of the language
(pronunciation, vocabulary, syntax).

17. Criticism

Student cannot understand what
teacher mean totally.

Student’s learning results are slower.

Materials can cost a lot of time and
money.

18. MOTTO